WWW.ICLRU.ORG ICL READS 2021 Program Guide Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man’s First Journey to the Moon By Robert Kurson SYNOPSIS ver a million spectators in Florida and thousands around the globe gathered on July 16, 1969, to watch three Oastronauts reach a new frontier - a walk on the moon. But this triumph of Apollo 11 would never have been possible without the Apollo 8 Mission, which, against incredible odds, was the first to send men in orbit around the moon. Robert Kurson has written a real-life thriller, compiled by detailed data and astronaut interviews, that reveals just how stunning and risky this achievement was in its planning, technology, and execution. Kurson uses novelistic detail and a sense of immediacy to reveal the risks faced by NASA as well as the astronauts themselves and their families. Jim Lovell, Bill Anders and Frank Borman are true Hemingway heroes displaying “grace under pressure”. Filled with vivid, unforgettable detail and set against an historical time rife with rioting, war protests, racial unrest and the assassinations of several national leaders, Kurson provides us with a riveting account of America’s finest hours and a reason to have pride and hope in our nation. 1 2 3 READ THE BOOK JOIN THE ATTEND EXCITING CONVERSATION EVENTS 1 WWW.ICLRU.ORG ICL READS PROGRAMS* Week of March 8, 2021 2021: AN ICL SPACE ODYSSEY An out of this world multi-day event focused on OUTER SPACE featuring presentations by ICL Coordinators. Visit www.ICLRU.org for additional details and complete schedule of events. Thursday, April 1, 2021 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM SPACE SETTLEMENT: THE MOON, MARS and BEYOND • Jim Plaxco of the Chicago Society for BOOK DISCUSSIONS* Space Research discusses the challenges Thursday, March 18, 2021, 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM humanity will face in new alien environments as well as the reason for Thursday, March 25 2021, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM settlement. Destinations and challenges will be investigated. BEYOND THE BOOK Thursday, April 8, 2021 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM HISTORY OF THE SPACE PROGRAM: SPUTNIK TO Suggested Videos and Documentaries SHUTTLE • NOVA: Apollo’s Daring Mission https:// • Bob Kaplaw, a NASA Solar System www.thirteen.org/programs/nova/apollos-daring- Ambassador, reviews the history of the mission-ntnwii/ US Space Program from its first satellite through the Space Shuttle. • Man at the Moon: The Flight of Apollo 8 https:// www.c-span.org/video/?455214-2/man-moon-flight- Thursday, April 15, 2021, 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM apollo-8 THE FUTURE OF SPACE EXPLORATION • Michelle Nichols, Astro-educator, at • First to the Moon, Amazon Prime Chicago’s Adler Planetarium, reveals what is around the corner for space • Adler Planetarium: 13 Stories with Captain exploration. What might space tourism James Lovell https://artsandculture.google.com/ look like? And when might we finally land exhibit/13-stories-with-captain-james-lovell-adler- humans on Mars? planetarium/ywLiCmlNU-qZIw?hl=en Thursday, April 22, 2021, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM MEET THE AUTHOR, ROBERT KURSON FOLLOW ICL ON • Celebrate Earth Day with Robert Kurson, FACEBOOK AND TWITTER award-winning author of Rocket Men. Followed by a Q&A with ICL Members. For added content and discussion, join the ICL READS! Facebook Group. * All programs and book discussions will be virtual events hosted by ICL. Links to access codes will be • Open your personal Facebook Page and use the provided via e-mail from Office Manager. No search bar to locate ICL READS! registration required. • Select ICL READS! • Select JOIN. 2 READING GUIDE 1. In 1957, The Soviet Union launched the satellite Sputnik and the space race was on with the moon as a prize. In 1961, aware of the scientific and technological challenge, JFK committed the nation to the ambitious goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade. What conditions and events led the USA to accept the challenge? 2. 1968 was a traumatic and turbulent year in the history of the USA. Did the astronauts realize the importance of their mission in unifying the country? Are there parallels today? How are history and science linked? 3. Was Apollo 8 the greatest event of the 20th century? The result of a controversial decision based on misinformation provided by the CIA about Soviet space plans, Apollo 8 was the mission that changed everything. What were the key tasks of the Apollo 8 mission? Did the Apollo 11 mission overshadow the importance of Apollo 8? Which mission held more significance? 4. The Apollo 8 mission was conceived, planned and implemented in 4 months. The risks were enormous. What issue was the most critical? Did the book change your opinion or perspective about NASA or the space program and its future? 5. Failure was not an option. What made Lovell, Anders and Borman the perfect crew for the mission? 6. Using a “State-of-the-Art” computer which had less power than a modern hand-held calculator, Lovell keyed in the commands to the launcher’s third stage to send the craft on its 500,000 mile roundtrip journey to the moon. What other technology was needed for the success of the mission and the future of space exploration? 7. While the astronauts’ wives posed prim and proper in their pearls for the international media, the author reveals their personal terror as they wondered if their husbands would make it out of lunar orbit. Though the astronauts acknowledged the “thousands of people” who made the mission possible, not every team or contribution was recognized at the time. Did you identify more with the anxiety of the families or the NASA team? Was one support system more important than the other? 8. The Apollo 8 mission gave us two moments that changed the way humanity thinks about Earth: an unexpected photograph and a Christmas morning message selected by the crew. What began as a competition with the Russians gave humanity something much greater. We were able to understand our place in the universe and to see that, despite political rivalries on Earth, there’s far more that unites than divides us. What was your reaction to these events? ICL Reads is a program open to all members. Each year, a book with “Big Ideas” is selected and participating members share the experience of reading the book simultaneously with other members to create a Reading Community. The program encourages open discussion of the concepts and contents introduced in the book via Study Groups, Special Events, Book Discussions and Social Media Discussions. 2021; AN ICL SPACE ODYSSEY LEARN MORE AT WWW.ICLRU.ORG 3.